


Feralstuck Fem! Reader-Insert (Homestuck AU fanfiction)

by FreeCatnip329



Series: My Homestuck AUs' Reader-Inserts [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternative Universe - Animals, Animals, Feral, Feralstuck, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Multi, Reader-Insert, Vet, Veterinary, Veterinary Clinic, Veterinary Medicine, Zoo, alternative universe, animal - Freeform, reader can talk with animals, trolls are animals, wild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-05-04 13:45:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14594322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeCatnip329/pseuds/FreeCatnip329
Summary: ‘Welcome to Alternia: the most magical and spectacular place in the world'.(The reader is a veterinarian who starts working in a very special zoo...)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com ESPECIALLY BY ITS GREAT MASTERPOST OF FERALSTUCK (fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com/post/150973568614/feralstuck-masterpost)

**_‘Welcome to Alternia: the most magical and spectacular place in the world'._ **

That's what was written on the sign. The message, painted in bright phosphorous colors, was responsible for attracting the attention of children of all ages, who ran excitedly to the entrance of the zoo dragging their parents and caregivers with them.

The only difference was that you were not a child

Your name is (y/n), you are (years) years old, and you have always dreamed about working with animals.

You had never been a little girl like the others; You never enjoyed pretending to be a singer or designing dresses for your little barbie dolls. No: you wanted to be a veterinarian.

It's something... _hard to explain._ You had always had a very special relationship with animals; from your first pet, a tiny cinnamon kitten you rescued from the streets on a rainy day (and which you would later decide to name Coco), to the last of your dogs, a long-haired Yorkshire named Mia, you've always felt a special connection with each and every one of them...

"So... I guess you're the new employee, right?"

Without warning, you were surprised by a deep male voice. You quickly turned around, only to meet the look of a boy your age. He had curly chocolate hair and tiny freckles all over his face, along with bright green eyes.

"Ehh… Y-Yes! I'm the new v-veterinarian. M-my name (y/n)" you clumsily stuttered as you nervously offered your hand to the guy in the zoo uniform.

He smiled and burst into laughter as he shook your hand tightly.

"Why are you so nervous? My name is Jeremy Wilson, I'm in charge of feeding the animals. Come here: I'll show you the place."

You followed quickly Jeremy through the entrance, until you came to a small building with a 'staff only' sign on the door. Then he stopped and pulled a key from his back pocket, with which he opened the door. Judging by the appearance, the place must have been a kind of entrance of a warehouse for the employees; the floor was made of old black wood and there were lockers covering almost completely the other 3 walls of the room, many with visible dust accumulating both inside and outside of them.

"As far as I know the zoo has never had so many employees to need to use all the lockers" he said as he opened one of the old unlocked ones and blew the accumulated dust inside “even so, they insist on leaving them all... it's not exactly a ‘bad thing’, and so we have an additional space in case someone needs to keep more things than usual". Jeremy picked up some carefully folded clothes from inside and handed them to you.

You looked at them curiously: there were a couple of light blue suits with the zoo white logo on the chest, and a pair of white cloth and plastic gloves.

"There are two pairs of clothes in case you need to change them and a single pair of gloves" he told you. "You have to put on your uniform before entering any work area inside the zoo and change to your normal clothes before you leave. There are some changing rooms there" he added, pointing to a corridor on the left.

You obediently nodded and headed to the right path, soon finding the girls' changing room (which did not seem to have been used for a long time) where you could change into the uniform. Luckily Jeremy seemed to have an eye for clothing sizes, because it fit you perfectly.

You folded your clothes carefully and walked back to where you had left the young employee.

"Oh, there you are" he gave you a kind smile. His gaze went down to your clothes and he indicated one of the gray lockers at the end of a corner.

"You can leave your things there, this one also has an open padlock inside. It's a special locker that is used in case one of the employees forgets to bring his own."

You smiled gratefully and carefully put your clothes folded in the locker, before closing it and following Jeremy to the next location. This one looked like a surveillance room with multiple cameras and electronic devices that recorded the different parts and areas of the zoo.

"From here we watch the animals" he pointed to a large keyboard on a small desk near some of the cameras, "we can turn on or off the surveillance cameras, close the cages and even send electric shocks if the situation requires it."

The shocks seemed an excessive measure of security in your opinion, but who were you to talk? After all, you had not even seen the zoo's animals (despite all the stories you had to hear from your new neighbors when they found out you were going to work here).

Suddenly one of the doors of the room opened, letting in what appeared to be another employee. He had straight, black hair, and he looked extremely tired and bored. In his hands he had a large cup of coffee.

"Hey Nick! How are you? How is Amelia? "Jeremy greeted the stranger effusively, who decided to ignore him and sit down on the chair in front of the cameras, while continuing to drink his coffee.

Jeremy's smile dropped, but as he realized you were watching he pretended that everything was fine.

"He's Nick," he said with a slightly forced smile, which made you frown "he's... silent. But he's really nice, right Nick? "

Nick gave a grunt in response, and you pretended to smile to not make the situation more uncomfortable.

Eventually Jeremy and you left the room and continued your tour of several zoo areas. When you two finally reached the end of the hall he stopped and his voice took on a slightly more serious tone.

"This" he said, pointing to the reinforced door, "is the door that leads to the section of the cages. It is very important that you pay attention to the instructions and do not separate from me at any time, do you understand?"

You nodded and he inserted a card through a grey slot. The door made some mechanical sounds before returning the card and unlocking itself with a thud.

Slowly you followed Jeremy into the new place. It was a huge hallway-shaped room; the roof was made of transparent glass, and to the sides there were several cages separated by high fences, each one with its respective door with a electronic padlock.

"Have you ever heard about trolls?"

You blinked, surprised by the boy's sudden question, before shaking your head. He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah... not many people do it" he murmured. "They are one of our main attractions, I thought you probably heard about them... you know, because of the vet job and all that."

You shook your head again.

"I just moved recently, and I was recommended to work here for the good reputation of the place... but I really think I've never seen... _trolls?_ " You explained, hesitating while saying the last word.

Jeremy laughed softly.

"It's okay, not many people have actually seen them: that's why they are such a popular attraction here... Although they are pretty good at hiding and are not usually very sociable (or friendly), but you end up getting used to them" he said calmly, "even I have been able to see some of them closely over the years".

Jeremy looked at his watch, checking the time.

"Well, it seems like it's lunchtime" he said with a kind smile on his face "Are you coming?"

You nodded slowly and gave one last look at the huge cages... you were starting to have a strange feeling... as if something was close... _very close_...

You shook the weird thoughts out of your head and headed down the hallway with Jeremy, a small smile breaking through your face.

Maybe this work was good after all.

**...**

The pair of young trolls watched silently, hidden in a small corner inside one of the cages.

"who ii2 2he?" the young yellow-blood male asked, his wings fell back suspiciously.

The female raised her head and slowly sniffed the air.

"SH3 DO NOT SM3LL 4S 4NYON3 1 KNOW"

His companion frowned as he watched as the young human left the area of the cages.

"ii do not tru2t her."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1st --- The image used in this chapter DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. It's from "http://fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com", a beautiful tumblr that inspired this fanfiction, and its rights do not belong to me.  
>  For more information look the second part of these notes :33
> 
> **…**
> 
> 2nd --- INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com ESPECIALLY BY ITS GREAT MASTERPOST OF FERALSTUCK (fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com/post/150973568614/feralstuck-masterpost)

 

* * *

 

**_Bam, bam, bam._ **

_Again and again the sound echoes through the walls of the cage, the old metal gates tremble and creak more with each new attempt of release. The troll retained inside does not cease at any moment to launch itself against the thin bars, which continue trembling with each blow of his still young body. No longer matters the horrible noise of the blows in his ears, nor the dull pain that extends for each one of his muscles, nothing matters if it is not to leave that place._

_And then it happens..._

**_CRACK_ **

**...**

After finishing eating Jeremy and you go back to the corridor.

To be honest, you probably have not felt this relaxed in a while: nature and animals seem to have that general effect on you, and Jeremy is kind and funny enough to make any kind of worry in which your head was spinning disappear instantly. Or at least that's the way it is until you get to the next stop.

Suddenly all the color of the environment seems to disappear when you two stand in front of a different door, completely white, with just a small silver sign in which black letters stand out.

"Veterinary Department" you read aloud.

"I do not think I need to explain what this is, right?" Jeremy says, the humorous tone clearly recognizable in his voice. He taps the door with his knuckles, and just a few seconds later it opens to reveal an extremely white room. The floor is made of black wood, and at the front there is a desk that seemed to be made of the same material, above, stuck to the wall, stood multiple shelves full of jars, occasionally alternated with diplomas and bright certificates in dark frames.

Your eyes open even more when your vision focuses on the jars that rest on the ledge, creatures and small stuffed and preserved animals watch you from the inside with those dead eyes that make chills run down your back. The memories of your first years of career and all the horrible first practices and dissections come to your head, and you have to make an effort to retain the nausea that goes up your throat. You have never had problems dealing with living creatures, or wounded or sick animals of any kind, the dead however...

Almost as if your brain was looking for a way to distract you, your head quickly rises to see the man, older than you, who watches you with a serious look reflected in his dark brown eyes. Which incidentally, combine with his also dark hair and in turn with his own version of the uniform of the zoo, white and sterilized.

His look is still serious even after Jeremy has given his own cheerful comment, introducing you to the "Dr. Aaron", after which you are forced (for the sake of your work and the good manners) to shake his hand, discomfort following you all the way.

"Miss (y/n)" his way of speaking is strange, somehow he manages to remind you of a long and convoluted conference, however it is not one of the good ones, rather one of the boring ones "I have read your file, and I am pleased that you have decided to join us as a worker in the zoo. I hope we can become great partners".

"Amm... yes, of course..." you nod somewhat disoriented.

"Mr. Aaron is also the co-owner of the zoo." Jeremy whispers in your ear once you separate from him "He checks the employees' records with the owner before hiring them."

Oh... thank you... you guess... Mentally you slap yourself for your attitude in front of what is probably the closest authority to a boss for you at this moment. Jeremy seems to hold the laugh when he see your reaction, while the doctor simply frowns more deeply, which immediately impels you to rectify your posture and strive to look as professional as it is possible.

"If you do me the favor of sitting down we could move on to a little revision of the zoo 's rules..." the doctor moves away to let you pass, indicating you the empty chair in front of the desk. Something uncomfortable you are preparing to sit down when-

**_Eeeoooeeeooo, eeeoooeeeooo..._ **

Instinctively you put your hands in your ears, hoping to block the sudden alarm that seems to come from some loudspeaker hidden in the room. Jeremy and the doctor, on the contrary than you, seem to know exactly what to do when they quickly get up and leave the place. You, still disoriented and in panic, quickly follow them to the outside of the room.

And then you are welcomed by what is probably the strangest vision of your whole life.

A creature stands in the middle of the aisle, looking furiously at two employees armed with dart guns a few meters away, his is mouth open showing sharp white teeth. His body (looking surprisingly like a human's) is covered by a thin layer of light gray fur, in which small dark gray spots stand out in his joints and near the edge of his yellow eyes with bright red irises. A similar gray mark is on his chest, but nevertheless this one looks more like the sign of cancer? Wavy black hair slightly blocks the vision of two small rounded horns on the top of his head, which stand out almost as much as the black scales with red edges on both sides of it, a few centimeters from those pointed ears with dark edges that rise alarmed as he stare at the armed men. The greyish tail of bright red scales is also raised, and its sharp nails and teeth are enough to make you not want to be in this place the moment that creature finally decides to attack.

Almost as if he was reading your mind, the strange animal decides to jump in the opposite direction in that moment, trying to mislead the guards, who point directly at him with the dart guns, for your misfortune in the exact same direction in which you are.

From there everything happens too fast for you to realize, suddenly the sound of the shots fills the air and at the next second you feel like something sharp stuck in your thigh. But you do not have time to feel the pain, because suddenly a feeling of warmth and tingling creeps up your leg to your hip and spreads throughout your body, making you suddenly feel incredibly tired. You do not even have enough energy to try to hold you standing when your legs fail, and you fall on your knees to the ground. Your eyes begin to close when your ears get a last sound, the moment before you fall completely into unconsciousness.

"SHIT!"

Wait, what was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com ESPECIALLY BY ITS GREAT MASTERPOST OF FERALSTUCK (fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com/post/150973568614/feralstuck-masterpost)

_Dark... cold... Why... Why is everything so dark?_

Disoriented you open your eyes, only to be greeted by a white ceiling full of lights and the unforgettable smell of disinfectant and extreme cleanliness. You hiss, your head hurts terribly and there is a sharp pain nailed in your leg, near your right thigh. You blink slowly, straining to clear up your blurred vision... where are you?

"Hey, you're awake! Wow friend, you've had us worried for a while" a familiar voice comes from above, and for a moment you frown, concentrated on distinguishing its origin despite your strong headache "oh, wait a moment, let me help you".

After the familiar voice speaks for the second time you feel like someone takes you by the arm and carefully pulls you, helping you to get up from where you were lying until that moment.

You blink again, and for a moment your vision gets a little clearer, allowing you to clearly distinguish the person who now is your new co-worker, now dressed in street clothes and holding a slightly worried smile on his face.

"W-Where... Where am I?" You manage to ask, your throat is dry and your voice is husky, almost as if you have not spoken for a long time.

"Oh yeah, sure... you'll see... After that troll got out of its cage (remember when I told you about trolls, right?) and somehow it managed to get to the corridor, the security of the zoo started the security protocol and the guards came. The troll tried to flee and the guards shot, and well... accidentally one of the tranquilliser darts gave you. You fainted and we had to take you to the hospital... where are you now..." he says "You've been unconscious for a while... "

Your head was spinning at the moment when the last words, confusing for your bewildered and aching head, come out of his mouth

"Fainted? Troll? UNCONSCIOUS?! What time is it?!" you shouted, getting up in alarm once you realized how much time you could have been out of consciousness.

"Uhh... about a half hour after your shift was over" Jeremy cleared his throat "you've been asleep for quite a long time."

A young nurse suddenly appeared at your side, giving the green-eyed boy a furious look before heading towards you, using her hand to gently push you towards the backrest of what, you had just discovered, was the stretcher you were sitting on. "Do not make much effort, you have to keep calm and rest" she said and turned to Jeremy "and as for you, I hoped not to have to see you again here for a while" she said with a slightly exasperated tone, but from which you could still make out a hint of humor.

Jeremy grimaced and the nurse let out a sigh while she gently rubbed her temples, you looked at them, bewildered.

"Do you know each other?"

Jeremy changed his expression to a grimace of amusement, and the young woman in the hospital uniform looked back at him with a slight frown.

"I do not know how long you've met this guy, but I'll tell you one thing: stay away from him. It is a magnet of problems" the girl said, her voice still had that soft humorous tone.

"Come on, do not exaggerate..." Jeremy interrupted the girl, a mischievous smile breaking through his face.

"I exaggerate?! Do I have to remind the gentleman "I'll be fine, I do not need to go to a hospital, it's just a small wound" the time you stuck a pair SCISSORS?".

You can not resist the temptation to laugh when Jeremy and the nurse start arguing, giving rise to hilarious anecdotes of the accidents of the animal feeder. It's fun... and it distracts you enough to forget about the pain for a while. Enough time for another nurse to come in to check on you and give you some mild painkillers (they say that they do not want to put more strong anesthesia into your system for a while), before finally discharging you. Of course you are informed of your situation; They're not sure what kind of effects the anesthesia for trolls might have on a human being, especially in a one with a blood type as rare as yours, they know it's not deadly, but just in case it's important that you call if you start feeling discomfort or strange symptom, especially during the 48 hours following the incident.

Half an hour of bus and walk later and finally you are in front of the door of your small apartment. The key is in your hand, and the dull pain inside your head and in your leg is probably the only thing that separates you and a well deserved rest in your comfortable bed.

You finally manage to open the door, but you freeze at the entrance when an unfamiliar voice reaches your ears.

"Is that the doorbell? The doorbell! She is here! She's back!"

Shit.

You pick up your handbag, holding it in case you had to use it as a weapon, but for your luck it is not the owner of the unknown voice who quickly runs to meet you at the door, but someone much smaller and furry. Mia runs quickly towards you, its legs begin to gently scratch your legs until you give in, bending down to her height.

"You are here! You are here! You're back!"

Uh? Your jaw drops when instead of barking it is a young voice the one that comes out from the throat of the excited little dog. Was not that... the voice you heard before?

The small long-haired Yorkshire stops its excited movement at the lack of caresses and its eyes are directed towards you with worry and fear.

"What's going on? Are you okay? Are you... sick?"

You do not find the enough courage to speak again when it happens again... It's happening... your dog is talking... and you can understand it.

**_Tap, tap, tap._ **

Footsteps go down the hall, and you turn your head to look at the two little kittens that walk towards the place where you are sitting on the ground. Coco is in front, closely followed by Snowflake, one of the most recent member of your little family of pets, it was only 5 months old and it had fur as white as its name suggested.

"What happened this time?" The logical and slightly cold voice seems so comically similar to Coco's aptitude that you are sure you would have laughed if you were not in this situation.

"Is she okay?" On the other hand, the childish and also worried voice that appears when Snowflake opens its mouth is not funny at all and does nothing but remind you of the situation you are in.

"Please... can you talk? I promise I will not behave badly, just talk and say you're fine... please... "

You know it does not make sense, but the desperate voice that comes out as if it were the most natural thing in the world of your dog's throat sounds so worried... and its eyes have that sad look... that for a moment you gather the strength to get out of your situation of shock crouched on the ground, and you manage to raise your head slightly looking at the three animals with concerned looks in front of you.

"W-What did you just s-say?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com ESPECIALLY BY ITS GREAT MASTERPOST OF FERALSTUCK (fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com/post/150973568614/feralstuck-masterpost)

"YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US?!"

You nod hesitantly, your (e/c) eyes look at the 3 little creatures gathered on the floor around you, looking at you, judging your words. Because they understand you, and (probably for the first time in the entire history of humanity) you are UNDERSTANDING THEM. And fuck, this is so amazing, and weird, and-

"Well... now that we can communicate properly, I would like to clarify again that I WAS NOT the one who messed up the carpet last week" your thoughts are interrupted by Coco, who turns to look with an almost humorous scowl at the small white fur kitten sitting next to her "so I'd like to get my treats back" she finishes, looking at Snowflake with an annoyance aura.

Luckily, he seems to be sufficiently absorbed with the whole situation and the fact that his owner can now understand what he is says so as to pay attention to the accusation. " Can she- I mean, you" he corrects himself, stumbling awkwardly with his own words in the midst of his confusion "can you understand what we say? Why? When? H-How?" He asks, confusion fills his childish voice, still with faint traces of concern and curiosity.

"I do not know... I just..." you murmur, as confused or more than the little kitten; ypu need to think (y/n), when did this start? What did you do today that was different? Today you had your first day of work, you were introduced with the staff, you saw your first troll and- Wait a moment…

**_Your eyes begin to close when your ears get a last sound, the moment before you fall completely into unconsciousness._ **

_** "SHIT!" ** _

Oh dear God.

**…**

"Hey, back here so soon? I thought the hospital would have given you a few more days of rest or something like that since the last time."

You smile kindly at Jeremy, both of you are dressed in your respective uniforms, standing in the hallway at the end of the changing rooms; Three days have passed exactly since the last time you saw each other, when you woke up from the anesthesia in the hospital.

"No" you say gladly, happy to see a familiar face again "the doctors said that the anesthesia was not as serious as they thought, and that the injury is progressing well" you say pointing to your injured leg while raise it slightly, hiding a slight wince of pain when you accidentally make small waves of muffled pain run all over your thigh, where you still have the wound of the dart.

"I still can not move it normally," you explain, slowly returning your injured limb to its normal position "and running or walking fast is still a difficult thing, but they think I'll be fine to get back to work" you end carefully.

"Well, in that case," he says, giving you an affectionate pat on your back "Welcome back (y/n)".

You laugh softly "It's okay, you do not need to be so formal. Is there something important that I missed?"

Jeremy caresses his chin thoughtfully "I do not think so... Wait..., yes!" Curious, you direct your gaze back to the animal feeder, who seems to have suddenly remembered something important "The doctor told me that he wanted to talk to you as soon as you came back"

Oh... During a moment you freeze, damn it! You had completely forgotten about him! Your heart sinks a moment at the idea of having to talk to that man again... Do not misunderstand you; he did not seem as a bad person or anything like that, but you were easily nervous in front of that man... he seemed to be so serious... and authoritarian... You never felt good being with that kind of people, it made you feel uncomfortable and...  _small_ …

You are shaken out of your thoughts by Jeremy's gentle and slightly worried voice asking if you're okay. A slight blush spreads across your cheeks and you quickly stutter an apology... Shit, lately you've been so distracted with the new job, the family, and the hospital...

... and talking to the animals...

You mumble an apology and say goodbye to Jeremy, saying that it would be better foy you to go with the doctor before it gets too late. You quickly walk (your leg limps slightly as you try to gain some speed) down the hall, and soon you find yourself face to face with the "Veterinary Department" sign. Gently knock your knuckles against the door.

**_Knock, knock, knock._ **

The door opens and a serious and professional face appears on the other side.

"Oh, miss (y/n), I'm glad to see you're back. Would you do me the favor of getting in?" He asks, you thank him, nod slightly and take a step forward the door, ready for the next long conversation that comes.

**...**

"Well, I'm glad we finally had this talk, do not you think so?"

"Y-Yes, of course..." you murmur; Believe it or not, that was not so bad. At least the doctor (or Aaron, as he apparently prefers to be called) is not such a serious guy... He is actually quite friendly and, although perhaps a bit excessive for your taste in complying with the procedures and rules, he seems quite understanding, which gives you a little idea of why Jeremy seems to like him so much.

"Believe me miss (y/n), I am the person who most regrets your accident..." the doctor returns to speak, getting you out of your thoughts "the zoo has been having some problems with the security personnel, and that is precisely why It makes us so happy to know that there is another expert in the veterinary field with us" his lips curls, and you can swear that this is the first time you see him with something that resembles a truly sincere smile.

"About that" the smile gives you the courage to finally talk "How is he doing? I-I mean, the troll."

"You surprise me, (y/n); usually it takes a lot of courage to worry about an animal of that kind, specially after a first encounter of like yours... That says a lot about your ability as a veterinarian." The doctor frowned for a moment, before quickly his face become what strived to look like a calm expression "Its condition could be better... we examined it while it was still under the effects of the anesthesia; it had injuries and a little muscle damage that we treated... I think everyone expected all to heal itself over time, but our last help does not seem to have been enough and things do not seem to be evolving" a small sigh escaped from between his lips "it will clearly need more external help, and we need intervene, but with such a dangerous kind of animal... so unpredictable and wild, especially with this one record... Frankly, nodoby seems to agree on what to do. If the situation does not improve I think the only other option would be to drug the animal and treat it." He rubbed his temples lightly, clearly stressed at the thought. He raised his head and looked at you with dark brown eyes. "It does not seem like the best idea, right? And that's only if we manage to stop him from detecting the drug...  _"_

You hesitated, thinking about the veterinarian's words, before finally speaking again.

"Sir, I-I..."

"I've already told you, (y/n), you do not need to call me that" he paused before suddenly realizing he had interrupted you "Go on, please".

"Aaron, I... I t-think that I could be helpful with that problem."

The veterinarian's left eyebrow rose with sudden curiosity. "What exactly do you mean?"

You swallowed nervously, breathed deeply, and let out the words, so many times thought about in the last days, but for the first time uttered out loud.

"Would you allow me to take care of the troll?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INSPIRED BY THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com ESPECIALLY BY ITS GREAT MASTERPOST OF FERALSTUCK (fuchsiaheiress.tumblr.com/post/150973568614/feralstuck-masterpost)

_ “Grrrrr” _

_The troll inside the small room grunts and leans against one of the glass walls of his cold small prison. His teeth gnash furiously, his mind turns in a cycle with no apparent end of anger, disappointment at his failed attempt to escape and the throbbing pain of the wounds on his body, too weak perhaps at this moment to deserve to be called that of a wild creature. There is a horrible pain in his shoulder, which makes his teeth gnash suppressing the groans of suffering every time he tries to move, and all that without counting the multiple bruises and scratches that seem to be bent on pointing to the animal the unpleasant candy red color from his wounds._

_A mutant color._

_A new growl of fury escapes from between his lips, fierce and intimidating, and ready to face the next of those stupid humans in white coats who walk through the door._

_**Skreeen.** _

_It is a pity that that is exactly what happens at that moment._

_**...** _

"I still do not believe that you did it, how the hell did you do to convince him?!"

You giggled as you walked next to Jeremy down the hall, maybe a little slower than you'd like because of your still injured leg. You shrugged.

"I do not know... I guess my record was convincing."

Jeremy sighed "It's amazing, it took me 5 months to see a troll for the first time! I envy you..." he said, sticking out his tongue with a childish face.

You returned the grimace before turning your eyes to a fine file of the zoo in your hands, which you carefully unfolded and watched as you both keep walking. Soon the feeder's voice hit your ears again "Anyway, how is it doing?"

Your eyes lifted for a moment from the page of the file you were reading, while your legs struggled to keep walking down the long corridor. "Well... they saw that it had a dislocated shoulder which, apparently, has not been able to fully position itself, which must be quite painful... In addition it seems to have several wounds, some of which may need to be disinfected again..." you murmured "However there is something I do not understand quite well about this report... " you added pensive, looking absently at the page.

"What is it?" The zoo worker next to you asked, there was legitimate curiosity in his voice.

"This... do not you want to name the animals?" You asked, pointing to a series of numbers below the photo in the file, where normally the animal's name would go. Normally (at least in the rest of the zoos where you worked) either for love or to attract customers, most of the owners liked to name the most famous animals...

"Ah, that it is... well, in fact they usually do it with other animals..." Jeremy replied "the trolls on the other hand are quite smarter than any average wild animal, many people even think they have their own language" he laughed mockingly the idea "what I want to get to is that they do not seem to take it well at all when you try to name them".

You shrugged your shoulders "Maybe they just have not found the right name" you muttered.

"Sure, let me know when you get a good name and I'll invite you to lunch for the rest of the week" he replied in a mocking voice "By the way, we're here," he added, standing in front of a large metal door in one of the diversifications of the hall.

You muttered again as you grabbed the keys that Jeremy extended to you, a little annoyed by his last comments.

"Come on, do not be so rude; it was just a joke" he said with a small wink "Good luck (y/n)" he added with a noticeably kinder tone, making your anger to decrease in level.

"Thank you" you answered in a low voice, as you slowly put the small key in the lock of the large armored door, inside which was kept your first patient in this place...

And the troll possibly guilty of all this.

**…**

_"What am I going to do?" You spoke out loud, your soft voice marked by anguish was not directed at anyone in particular. You were lying on the sofa of your house, looking at the ceiling dimly lit by an old lamp, while your injured leg rested on a small pile of pillows._

_"What are you talking about? Are not you happy? Not every day a human begins to talk to us..." Coco speaks between bites of her sardines (damn, that cat knew how to do business), she is lying on the floor, a few meters from the small bed that at this moment share Snowflake and Mia, both asleep and huddled in the heat of the other._

_"Yes... I mean, it's not that I think it's bad or anything but... It feels so strange, how is everything supposed to work now? Should I talk to all the animals I meet? What if someone sees me? They will think I'm MAD and-"_

_"Shhhh" the sound that comes out of Coco's mouth is strangely comforting (almost as much as a purr or a little hug) as she jumps on the couch with you, setting aside her half-eaten treat.  "Calm down..." Her voice is soft as her small and hairy body stretches next to your injured leg, sharing her body temperature with your injured limb, almost as if it was a baby of its own kind._

_"You know, someone once told me something very wise..." she pauses a moment and her voice becomes a delicate and comforting murmur  "Tomorrow will come, and in the meantime we should enjoy the present"._

_"Who was it?". You question. The female cat grimaces as her tail wraps around the bandages of your leg._

_ "You". _

_"Oh" you blink slowly, before some memories, at first slow and fuzzy, but clearer as your memory begins to work ,come to your mind. A small smile takes your lips while the tension disapper from your head and body._

_"Coco?"_

_ "Yes (y/n)?" _

_"... Thank you"_

_Even from your position you can hear the purr of the sweet cat._

_ "You are welcome". _

**_…_ **

_**Skreeen.** _

You blink slowly, calmly observing the new room you are in. Aaron had not exaggerated to describe the veterinary tecnology of the zoo in your conversation, this was the best equipped room you have ever seen! Just in case the more than clearly expensive soundproof wall and the equipment of analysis and study (besides other veterinary material) were not impressive enough, the room itself seemed to be divided in half by a glass wall, whose interior houses a small and solitary tropical ecosystem specially prepared for animals in treatment. Finally, in one of the corners of the thick safety glass walls there is a small door, also made of glass, and locked, which allows people to move from one part of the spacious room to another.

_**GRRRRRRRR.** _

It is possible that you have shuddered... only possible. The next time you look up from the luxurious facilities there are a pair of yellow eyes looking at you with obvious fury through the glass. The sharp teeth of the wild troll bring back memories of the fear of your not so friendly first encounter that you wish you could forget... The aggressiveness of his frown and his open jaws (showing his sharp teeth), and that he seems to be in the exact same position as a predator before his attack it does not help much either.

_Take a deep breath (y/n), you have everything under control._

With the little confidence that you are still capable of gathering, you raise your head awkwardly and take a step forward towards the glass that separates you and the creature, ready to make your first contact / communication with him.

"Hello…"


End file.
